Bold, brave and prepared to back their own ideas: The cool girl entrepreneurs of Melbourne
These young entrepeneurs are building their empires in a diverse range of areas. See which of Melbourne’s cool girl are making their mark.
Fiona Byrne
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They are bold, brave, prepared to back their own ideas — and they are successful. The cool girl entrepreneurs of Melbourne are building their empires in diverse areas such as business, beauty, wellness, music and fashion. Here is a snapshot of some of the young female movers and shakers from Melbourne, or based in Melbourne, who have tasted significant success. Their stories are far from finished with several on this list working on new ventures while others continue to grow their brands.
Laura Henshaw and Steph Claire Smith
Starting out as models Laura and Steph have proven themselves to be canny business builders and marketers. They created the KIC wellness and workout brand in 2015 as an online fitness community. The brand and business has grown in the ensuing nine years with their KIC app launching in 2018. Along the way they have published a cookbook, done brand collaborations, written a self help book, established podcasts and continued to expand their community. The KIC.app Instagram page has 323,000 followers. Smith made her debut on the Financial Review’s Young Rich List in 2021 with an estimated wealth of $36m.
Erin Deering
Melbourne based Erin made her fortune via the online swimwear business Triangl which she established with her then partner - in business and love - Craig Ellis. She and Ellis, a former Melbourne Football Club player, founded Triangl in 2012. By 2015 it was selling more than 1000 bikinis a day and was valued at over $US200m. In 2016 Deering left Triangl after she and Ellis, with whom she shares two children, split. They reached a settlement in 2022. Deering was estimated to be worth $36m on the Financial Review Young Rich List a couple of years ago. She has a podcast called The Work, is a mentor and published her memoir Hanging By A Thread in 2023. She married Zac Keane in 2023 and they have two children.
Sarah Aarons
Melbourne-born but US based Sarah Aarons has worked with some of the world’s biggest music artists. A huge talent, at just 29 she has had an incredible career as a songwriter with artists including Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, Zedd, Demi Lovato, SZA, Childish Gambino, Halsey, John Legend, Khalid, David Guetta and The Jonas Brothers recording her co-writes. In 2018, Aarons had her right leg amputated due to severe rheumatoid arthritis.
Teale Talbot
The co-founder of cult ‘it’ girl fashion label Realisation Par, Teale recently off loaded her stunning Toorak home. The property in Heyington Place was marketed with an asking price of between $5.7m-$6.1m. Teale left Melbourne in 2008 to explore the world before settling in London. She established Realisation Par with her friend Alexandra Spencer in 2015. Talbot is the chief executive and design director of the successful brand. Realisation Par has more than 745,000 Instagram followers.
Georgia Geminder
The granddaughter of Australian business mogul Richard Pratt, Georgia is building an empire in the ‘clean’ oral care space. Georgia launched GEM in 2020 and made it on to the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Asia list in 2022. The brand has now added deodorant to its inventory. While starting out as a digital only brand GEM is now stocked in major retailers in Australia and England. Georgia wed investment director, Matthew Danos, in 2022 and the couple welcomed a daughter in August 2023.
Bianca and Bridgett Roccisano
Originally from Mildura, the Roccisano sisters are lifting breasts around the world with their Booby Tape brand. Booby Tape, a breast lift in a box, was launched in 2018 and within a year was a business with a multimillion dollar turnover. The brand has continually grown and expanded into retailers around the world. The Booby Tape universe has also grown to include nipple covers, body bronzers, breast firming lotion, booby scrubs, breast masks and silicon anti-wrinkle chest pads. The sisters also own the Bianca and Bridgett fashion range.
Tones and I
Tones and I, aka Toni Wilson, is a Melbourne success story. The singer songwriter hails from the Mornington Peninsula and was a busker before her talent was noticed and her career took off. She had a monumental global hit with her second single Dance Monkey. She has released two albums and regularly tours. She married Jimmy Bedford in Bali in March 2023 and has made several high end real estate purchases on the Mornington Peninsula.
Holly Lucas
The daughter of Melbourne restaurant king Chris Lucas, Holly Lucas is spreading her wings. She is moving into luxury marketing with a focus on Europe. Holly has launched the Bureau of Innovation (BOI for short) that specialises in digital content, brand partnerships and events.
Her business partner is fellow Melburnians Alice Wells. Holly has spent the past decade as the creative director for the Lucas restaurant portfolio which includes Society, Chin Chin, Gill Americano and Kisumé.
Joanna French
Lipsticks have been big business for Melbourne’s Joanna French. Joanna founded SUZY. Lipsticks in 2013, with the brand being vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics. French decided to create her own lipstick range after being frustrated when she could not find the perfect colour for certain outfits and occasions. The entrepreneurial endeavour paid off.
Tammy Green
Tammy launched her brand Prene as a side hustle from her parents’ Melbourne garage nine years ago. She was a uni student with an idea to create lightweight, stylish and practical bags from neoprene. The brand took off like a rocket and what started as a small idea is now a multimillion-dollar business. Clever collaborations - notably with Bec Judd, Chloe Fisher and now Rozalia Russian - have kept the desirability of the brand sky high. The Rozalia x Prene collaboration launched on Thursday night with a bag selling every three seconds. Out of the nine designs, as of Friday morning, five were sold out and on pre order.
Anna Ross
Melbourne based Anna has made a fortune out of nail polish. Ross launched Kester Black, an ethical and sustainable beauty business, in 2014 and the brand now includes skincare, cosmetics and nail polishes. The business was valued at $22m in 2022. Ross was the Telstra Young Businesswoman of the Year in 2016.
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